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Catheter-Based OCT Imaging Shows Promise for Noninvasive Endometrial Cancer Diagnosis

A research team at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a catheter-based optical imaging method that could be used as an “optical biopsy” for detecting endometrial cancer and its precancerous lesions. The approach, described in the journal npj Imaging, uses three-dimensional optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging combined with a machine learning algorithm which examines and analyzes the entire endometrial cavity to identify tissue changes associated with endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) and endometrial cancer.

“Current endometrial biopsy practice has an estimated false-negative rate of about 10% (approximately 90% sensitivity), largely due to sampling limitations and interpretive variability,” said senior investigator Quing Zhu, PhD, a professor of engineering at Washington University. “With our three-dimensional OCT imaging system combined with machine learning, we can image the entire endometrial cavity in two to three seconds and may have a potential to achieve higher sensitivity than random biopsy sampling.”

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the United States, with estimated 69,000 cases projected to be diagnosed in 2025. As with most cancers, early detection has a significant impact on treatment outcomes with five-year survival rates between 80% and 90% when it is diagnosed at stage I.

Existing diagnostic tools have limitations that can impact early and accurate diagnosis. For instance, transvaginal ultrasound is ineffective for early EC, while endometrial biopsy has a 10% false-negative rate due to sampling and interpretive variability.” Although hysteroscopy allows direct visualization of the uterine cavity, it does not provide information about subsurface tissue architecture.

In an interview with Inside Precision Medicine, Zhu said the most widely used diagnostic approaches can miss cancers or depend heavily on operator skill. She noted that the low resolution of transvaginal ultrasound limits detection of early disease, while operative hysteroscopy requires cervical dilation and carries procedural risks. Endometrial biopsy, she added, can miss cancers that occupy less than half of the endometrial cavity surface.

The new approach developed by Zhu and team uses OCT, a light-based imaging technology that creates high-resolution cross-sectional images of tissue. This imaging method uses low-coherence interferometry to measure the echo time delay and intensity of backscattered light, producing real-time images of tissue microstructure with micrometer-scale resolution with tissues penetration depths of approximately one to two millimeters.

To create a method to comprehensively image the endometrium the WashU team developed a custom 3.1-millimeter catheter. Zhu said that the catheter rotates within the endometrial cavity at roughly 600 revolutions per minute while being pulled back automatically at a constant speed. Depending on uterine size, a 3- to 5-centimeter segment of the cavity can be imaged in approximately two to three minutes. The resulting volumetric scans provide three-dimensional views of tissue structure and optical properties throughout the cavity. The team then applied computational analysis to identify functional, structural, and radiomic features based on OCT intensity and scattering images.

To test this OCT/machine learning approach, the researchers evaluated the technology on 57 freshly excised hysterectomy specimens representing a range of conditions, including normal endometrium, benign abnormalities, EIN, and endometrial cancer. OCT identified 34 specimens that contained either high-risk precancerous lesions or early-stage cancers.

The OCT images revealed differences among normal endometrium, benign endometrium, high-risk precancerous lesions, and cancers at different stages. This new method attained an exploratory sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 87%. A cross-validated logistic regression classifier produced sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 83%.

“These findings support catheter-based 3D OCT as a promising noninvasive optical biopsy approach to improve detection of endometrial cancer,” the researchers wrote in the abstract.

The work builds on earlier investigations of OCT in endometrial disease. Previous research had shown that OCT could distinguish endometrial pathologies, but in those studies the imaging was slow or limited to two-dimensional analysis. “This study is the first to combine catheter-based 3D OCT imaging with functional, structural and radiomic feature analysis to assess the endometrial cavity,” the researchers wrote.

Researchers believe the technology could improve patient care by reducing dependence on repeated tissue biopsies. In the introduction, they wrote that “a real-time, noninvasive, high-resolution modality for subsurface imaging could improve diagnostic accuracy, reduce unnecessary biopsies, and support fertility-sparing management.” Such a tool could be particularly useful for women undergoing serial monitoring while receiving hormone-based treatment.

The investigators describe the method as an optical biopsy because it provides diagnostic information without requiring removal of tissue. “Unlike traditional tissue biopsy, it does not require painful physical tissue samples,” Zhu told Inside Precision Medicine.

The technology is still in an early stage of development. Zhu said future development will require a forward-viewing catheter to improve imaging of the uterine fundus and developing methods for faster data acquisition.

Zhu is now looking to secure funding and begin studies in patients to establish in vivo feasibility and to eventually move the technology into clinical trials.

The post Catheter-Based OCT Imaging Shows Promise for Noninvasive Endometrial Cancer Diagnosis appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.

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Labcorp Launches Expanded Test for Severe Chemotherapy Side Effects

In step with the trend toward more selective use of chemotherapy, Labcorp has launched an expanded version of its DPYD Genotype test, which helps identify cancer patients at increased risk for severe side effects from fluoropyrimidine-based drugs. The test is now the only offering, from a national laboratory provider, that detects all Tier 1 and Tier 2 DPYD variant alleles recommended to be tested for by the Association for Molecular Pathology.

The DPYD gene encodes the enzyme DPD, which metabolizes more than 80% of 5-FU. Patients with reduced or absent DPD activity can experience serious, potentially life-threatening side effects, including diarrhea, neutropenia, and neurotoxicity when given fluoropyrimidines 5-FU or capecitabine.

Such pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing is used to help identify patients who are at greater risk for adverse drug reactions from certain treatments based on their genetic makeup. Once a chemotherapy regimen is recommended, PGx testing can help guide treatment decisions and reduce the risk of toxicity. DPYD testing is one of the most well-established examples of PGx. 

“Pharmacogenomic testing is typically incorporated early in the treatment process, once a chemotherapy plan has been established, to give clinicians information about a patient’s inherited ability to metabolize certain medications or respond to them,” Annette Taylor, PhD, MS, told Inside Precision Medicine. She is associate vice president, strategic director, pharmacogenomics, Labcorp.

Fluoropyrimidines are one of the most widely used chemotherapy agents for colorectal, pancreatic, gastrointestinal, breast, and head and neck cancers. However, up to 9% of cancer patients carry DPYD variants that can negatively affect their ability to break down such drugs. That variant contributes to an estimated 1,300 deaths in the U.S. each year. By identifying the full range of Tier 1 and Tier 2 DPYD variants, the new test helps reduce the risk that vulnerable patients will receive the treatment.

 “Advances in pharmacogenomics are reshaping cancer care,” said Marcia Eisenberg, PhD, chief scientific officer at Labcorp. “Our expanded DPYD test identifies patients at risk for severe toxicity before treatment begins, supporting safer, more personalized care.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently updated its product labeling for 5-FU and capecitabine, which includes a Boxed Warning about the risk of severe adverse reactions or death in patients with complete DPD deficiency. The agency also advises testing for DPYD variants before treatment with 5-FU or capecitabine unless immediate treatment is necessary and recommends avoiding use of these drugs in patients with certain homozygous or compound heterozygous DPYD variants associated with complete DPD deficiency. 

In addition, recent updates to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for colon cancer and other relevant indications reference these Boxed Warnings and the recommendation for DPYD testing. Further, Clinical Pharmacogenomics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) guidelines recommend adjusting or avoiding treatment based on a patient’s DPYD metabolizer status as determined by DPYD testing.

“There are other pharmacogenomic tests available beyond DPYD testing that can provide clinically actionable information for certain therapies and treatment settings. Common tests include UGT1A1 genotyping for irinotecan and TPMT/NUDT15 testing for thiopurines,” Taylor said.

Other tests offered by Labcorp include the UGT1A1 Irinotecan Toxicity test, which helps guide chemotherapy with irinotecan, commonly used for metastatic colon and rectal cancer.  Labcorp also offers the TPMT and NUDT15 Genotyping test, useful for optimizing therapy with thiopurine drugs (azathioprine, mercaptopurine, and thioguanine). 

The post Labcorp Launches Expanded Test for Severe Chemotherapy Side Effects appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.

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Self-Renewing Blood Progenitors Could Expand the Reach of Cancer Cell Therapy

A team of researchers at the University of Southern California has developed a method to expand a key population of blood-forming progenitor cells in the laboratory while preserving their identity and function, overcoming a longstanding barrier in hematology and opening new possibilities for cancer immunotherapy.

The study, published in Cell, describes how investigators generated large numbers of granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (GMPs)—immune precursor cells that give rise to macrophages, monocytes, and neutrophils—using a culture system that enables these cells to self-renew in vitro. The work not only challenges conventional assumptions about hematopoietic progenitor biology but also provides a potentially scalable platform for engineering immune cells designed to attack cancer.

“This is the first time we can pick single progenitor cells and expand them in large quantities without differentiation,” said senior author Qi-Long Ying, PhD, professor of stem cell biology at USC. “They retain the original identity.”

The achievement addresses a problem that has frustrated researchers for decades. Although hematopoietic stem cells and their descendants have been extensively studied, scientists have struggled to maintain specific blood-forming progenitor populations in culture over long periods without the cells differentiating into mature immune cells.

Ying said the project grew out of his laboratory’s experience working with embryonic stem cells, which can be maintained indefinitely in culture. He reasoned that if embryonic stem cells could be expanded long term, similar approaches might eventually be developed for stem and progenitor cells found in bone marrow.

After years of experimentation, the researchers established culture conditions that selectively support GMPs, a progenitor population responsible for generating several innate immune cell types involved in recognizing and destroying abnormal cells.

Challenging a longstanding paradigm

According to co-author Daniel McKim, PhD, one of the most surprising findings was not simply the ability to expand GMPs but the demonstration that these progenitor cells could undergo extensive self-renewal in vitro.

“The prevailing theory has been that hematopoietic progenitors are short-lived intermediate cells that are incapable of self-renewal,” McKim said. “One of the distinctions between hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors is the belief that these cells are not able to self-renew. What we found is that under the right conditions, they can.”

The researchers emphasize that the self-renewal phenomenon occurs in culture. Once transplanted back into animals, the GMPs behave like normal progenitor cells, producing downstream immune populations before eventually becoming depleted.

Still, the ability to generate vast numbers of GMPs in vitro represents a significant technical advance. The investigators report expansion levels approaching eight orders of magnitude while maintaining the cells’ progenitor characteristics.

Building better cell therapies

Beyond the basic biology, the researchers see major implications for cancer immunotherapy.

Current cellular immunotherapies are dominated by CAR T-cell approaches, which have transformed treatment for several blood cancers but have shown more limited success against solid tumors. Investigators have long been interested in developing therapies based on macrophages and other innate immune cells because those cells naturally infiltrate tumors and can reshape the tumor microenvironment.

However, translating those concepts into viable therapies has proven difficult. Mature macrophages and monocytes are challenging to genetically engineer, difficult to manufacture at scale, and often fail to persist after infusion.

The newly expanded GMPs may provide a solution. Because the progenitor cells can be generated in large numbers and genetically modified before transplantation, they offer a renewable source of tumor-fighting immune cells.

“In our body these cells are very rare,” Ying said. “The mature cells cannot grow, and it is very challenging to genetically modify them. Now we have progenitor cells that can be expanded long-term in large quantities, and we can easily genetically modify them. That makes everything possible.”

The team engineered both mouse and human GMPs with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and evaluated them in mouse models. Unlike mature macrophages, which often become trapped in organs such as the lungs and liver after infusion, the progenitor cells distributed broadly throughout the body and engrafted within the bone marrow.

Once established, the cells generated populations of macrophages and monocytes capable of infiltrating tumors.

McKim noted that this approach may overcome several limitations that have hindered macrophage-based immunotherapies. “One of the big issues has been that it’s hard to engineer these cells, and when you put them back into the body they don’t get where they need to go,” he said. “The progenitors solve both problems. They’re easy to engineer, and they expand after transplantation.”

Implications for solid tumors

The researchers believe progenitor-derived innate immune therapies may offer advantages in solid tumors, where CAR T-cell approaches have struggled.

Tumors often create highly suppressive microenvironments that limit T-cell activity. Macrophages and related innate immune cells, by contrast, naturally migrate into tumors and can help stimulate broader immune responses.

“Monocytes and macrophages love going into tumors,” McKim said. “They can kill tumor cells themselves, but they can also help generate a natural antitumor immune response by the host.” That capability could prove particularly important in cancers that evade treatment by losing specific target antigens, a common mechanism of resistance to CAR T-cell therapy.

Although the work remains preclinical, the investigators believe the platform could eventually support a wide range of immune-engineering applications beyond cancer.

 

The post Self-Renewing Blood Progenitors Could Expand the Reach of Cancer Cell Therapy appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.

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Predictive Modeling of Enterovirus Hospital Burden Using Machine Learning and Age-Specific Surveillance Data: Operational Forecasting in Taiwan During the Postpandemic Era

Background: Enterovirus infections cause substantial pediatric morbidity worldwide, with severe cases requiring hospitalization. Accurate forecasting of hospitalization burden supports proactive resource allocation and clinical preparedness. During the postpandemic period (2023‐2024), Taiwan experienced a resurgence of enterovirus activity following COVID-19–related suppression, although at levels below prepandemic baselines, creating unique operational forecasting challenges. Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate random forest models for 1-week-ahead enterovirus hospitalization forecasting using postpandemic surveillance data and to evaluate the impact of epidemiological regime alignment on predictive performance. Methods: We analyzed weekly enterovirus surveillance data from Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control covering 2023 to 2024, including outpatient, emergency department, and hospitalization counts stratified by five age groups (0‐2, 3‐4, 5‐9, 10‐14, and ≥15 y). Random forest models were trained on data from 2023 week 1 to 2024 week 40 (n=91 wk after lag preprocessing) and validated on a temporally independent test set covering 2024 weeks 41 to 52 (n=11 wk). Feature engineering incorporated age-specific indicators, 1‐ to 4-week temporal lags, seasonal variables, and derived epidemiological ratios. Results: The random forest model achieved strong 1-week-ahead forecasting performance on the test set (²=0.216, root mean square error 23.5 hospitalizations per week, mean absolute percentage error 17.27%). Age-specific outpatient visits among children aged 0 to 2 and 3 to 4 years were the most influential predictors (feature importance=0.0839 and 0.0908, respectively), followed by seasonal week-of-year effects (feature importance=0.0803). The mean absolute error was 17.6 hospitalizations per week, demonstrating practical utility for hospital capacity planning. Test-period hospitalizations averaged 126.5 cases per week, representing a 3.4-fold increase from pandemic suppression levels (28.4 cases per week during 2020‐2022) while remaining 24% below prepandemic baselines (165 cases per week during 2008‐2019). Conclusions: Machine learning models trained on recent postpandemic surveillance data provide useful short-term forecasts of enterovirus hospitalization burden in Taiwan. A mean absolute percentage error of 17.27% represents reasonable accuracy for 1-week-ahead hospital resource planning. Age-specific pediatric outpatient surveillance offers valuable early signals for hospitalization forecasting, supporting the integration of such models into routine public health practice during postpandemic recovery.
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Clinical trial set to test two drugs for fast-growing Ebola outbreak

A clinical trial testing two drugs against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which is driving a fast-moving outbreak in Central Africa, is set to begin next week, World Health Organization officials said Wednesday. 

The clinical trial — which will test both Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir and MappBio’s monoclonal antibody MBP-134 — will be conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The trial is designed to test whether either of the therapies is effective against this form of Ebola, and whether using the two in combination would be a more effective way to combat the disease.

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Novel Feeder Cell Line Dramatically Expands NK Cell Production

Allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells appear promising as an adoptive cell therapy (ACT) that targets cancer. They’re limited, however, by production methods that can’t readily produce these cells in therapeutically relevant quantities.

Researchers led by Sang-Ki Kim, DVM, PhD, professor, Kongju National University in Korea, and CSO at Vaxcell Bio, along with Seung-Hwan Lee, PhD, professor, University of Ottawa, appear to have solved that bottleneck with an engineered version of the feeder cell line known as ARH-77, a B-lymphoblast cell line that stimulates NK cells. Even in its unmodified form, ARH-77 cells expanded NK cells extracted from peripheral blood samples 681-fold after 28 days. In contrast, K562, the cell line typically used, enabled 155-fold expansion during that time.

That expansion pales in comparison to that of the engineered cell line. The now-modified ARH-77 cells, modified to express four specific stimulatory ligands, expanded NK cells by 101,241-fold in 28 days. Making the same modifications to the K562 cells, however, improved production only 4.4-fold. In each of the cell lines, purity and cytotoxicity were considered equivalent.

Kim, Lee, and colleagues chose the ligands B7-H6, CD137L, IL-15, and IL-15Rα to provide multi-axis stimulation to enhance NK cell activation and proliferation as well as to enhance persistence. For example, B7-H6 stimulates production and exhibits early cytotoxic benefits, but those benefits dissipated by week four. CD137L appears to compensate for that attenuation, the scientists report. Notably, the feeder performance was consistent across donors.

While these ligands were more effective than other ligands the team considered, they stress that more work is needed to “formally establish the added value of each ligand.” They also want to evaluate the engineered ARH-77 in terms of in vivo persistence and anti-tumor activity against additional models. Large-scale manufacturing constraints also should be considered in future studies.

Because feeder cell performance is considered stable across the donor population, Kim and Lee suggest their engineered ARH-77 cell line may be a reliable option for NK cell expansion as therapeutic production scales up. As the scientists note, “These findings establish ARH-77 as a promising alternative feeder cell platform that could enhance the scalability, consistency, and potency of allogeneic NK cell manufacturing for clinical adoptive immunotherapy.”

 

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Recoded E. coli Promises More Scalable Weight Loss Drug Production

The manufacturing of weight loss drugs at large scale could get cheaper and more sustainable thanks to an engineered strain of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria.

The fully recoded E. coli, designed to use only 61 codons to synthesize proteins, is now being rolled out as a new method for manufacturing peptides with non-natural chemistries.

That’s according to Constructive Bio, the company that recoded the E.coli and now hopes this synthetic strain will transform the production of some high-volume hard-to-manufacture protein/peptide therapeutics.

“Our key message is that we’re able to produce long peptides containing non-canonical amino acids to deliver therapeutic proteins at scale by biomanufacturing,” explains Rob Salmon, PhD, head of bioprocess at Constructive Bio.

“And our key differentiator is there’s currently a market in, for example, weight loss drugs.”

According to Salmon, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists for weight loss are currently produced using chemical synthesis approaches such as solid phase peptide synthesis, which is hard to scale and generates high volumes of toxic waste.

By contrast, the synthetic E. coli strain can potentially produce these peptides using fermentation via standardized industrial processes, he says.

“We want to fit into standardized industrial unit operations and, through that, scale to thousands of liters of product that we can sell to the market,” he explains.

The strain was developed as part of research into reducing the number of codons needed to synthesize proteins in an organism from 64 to 61, allowing slots for three new non-canonical amino acids, according to the company.

A schematic demonstrating how non-canonical amino acids are incorporated into a protein or peptide chain using the ribosome in Constructive Bio’s Syn61 strain of E. coli. [Constructive Bio]

Constructive Bio was founded in 2022 to take the strain forward into industrial applications, including optimizing for applications such as antibody fragments or the long peptides used for GLP-1 agonist therapies.

Since then, the optimized strain has been taken through some industrial fermentations and demonstrated promising titers, he explains, adding that he will present results at the upcoming Bioprocessing Summit in Boston.

“We’re challenging some of the assumptions from chemists that biology can’t be used to do this,” he says.

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Scaling Stem-Cell Manufacturing for Therapies

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have long been viewed as one of regenerative medicine’s most promising raw materials. Now, as more than 100 clinical trials evaluate hPSC-derived therapies for diseases ranging from Parkinson’s disease to heart failure and type 1 diabetes, attention is turning toward a crucial challenge: how to manufacture these cells reliably and economically at industrial scale.

According to Kevin Cyrys and Robert Zweigerdt, PhD, both of Hannover Medical School in Germany, the field has entered a new phase. Rather than simply demonstrating that stem cells can be grown in bioreactors, researchers are increasingly focused on creating robust production platforms that can deliver consistent quality across facilities and patient populations.

“Human pluripotent stem cells can serve as an unlimited, renewable ‘raw material’ for essentially any therapeutic cell product,” the authors wrote, highlighting the technology’s potential to overcome limitations associated with donor-derived tissues and organs.

The manufacturing challenge is substantial. While some therapies, such as treatments for age-related macular degeneration, require only tens of thousands of cells per dose, others may demand billions of cells for a single patient treatment. Conventional laboratory-scale methods are unlikely to meet such requirements efficiently.

To address this gap, developers are increasingly adopting three-dimensional suspension cultures in bioreactors. Compared with traditional two-dimensional cell culture systems, bioreactors provide tighter control over temperature, oxygen levels, pH, and carbon dioxide while supporting automated, closed-system manufacturing compatible with good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards.

The field has already demonstrated notable progress across multiple therapeutic areas. Researchers have developed scalable processes for producing cardiomyocytes, pancreatic islet cells, hepatocyte-like cells, neural tissues, and immune effectors derived from hPSCs. Some cardiac manufacturing platforms have reported production of billions of cardiomyocytes in liter-scale bioreactors, while immune-cell manufacturing programs have successfully expanded induced pluripotent stem cell-derived natural killer cells in 1–10 L systems while maintaining product quality.

Yet scaling production involves more than increasing cell yields. “Industrial-scale success depends on more than headline totals,” Cyrys and Zweigerdt note, citing the importance of volumetric productivity, production time, reproducibility, and integration of expansion, differentiation, and downstream processing into a coherent GMP-ready workflow.

Looking ahead, Cyrys and Zweigerdt argue that the next generation of stem-cell manufacturing will be defined by data-driven process control. They predict that AI-enabled systems will help move the industry from retrospective quality analysis toward real-time decision support, ultimately improving comparability between batches and strengthening product definitions across manufacturing networks.

Despite ongoing challenges involving cost, quality control, and regulatory compliance, the authors conclude that stem-cell bioprocessing has already crossed an important threshold. Scalable culture systems are no longer the primary obstacle. Instead, the focus has shifted toward engineering reliable industrial processes capable of transforming complex stem-cell biology into reproducible therapeutic products.

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WHO Selects NIBRT as Training Hub to Help LMICs Build Biopharma Capacity

Ireland’s National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) will help biopharma engineers hone their automation and AI skills as part of a new World Health Organization (WHO) network.

The WHO named the University College Dublin-based organization as its newest training center, explaining it will provide engineers with context-specific skills courses aligned with “regional priorities, regulatory environments.”

NIBRT spokesman Killian O’Driscoll tells GEN, “Following a competitive application process, NIBRT has now been designated as the WHO Training Center for the European Region. NIBRT will work with partners and stakeholders to identify the skills gaps within the region and provide the appropriate training solutions, which will involve a blend of online, classroom, and practical training on biopharma manufacturing.”

Engineers who take part will be taught how to use advanced bioprocessing technologies in a variety of manufacturing settings, according to O’Driscoll, who says the plan is to use the organization’s syllabus as a foundation.

“Training will cover all aspects of biopharma manufacturing based on NIBRT’s award-winning curriculum, including drug substance, drug product, QC, engineering, digitalization, etc. Automation, digitalization, AI, and related areas are a core component of the NIBRT curriculum and will form part of the training solutions,” he adds.

LMIC capacity

The WHO established the Biomanufacturing Workforce Training Initiative in 2023 to address critical skills gaps across the biomanufacturing value chain and enable countries to translate technological advances into sustainable local production.

NIBRT is now one of seven institutions selected. The rest of the network consists of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil, the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute in India, Egypt’s Center for Continuing Professional Development, and Peking University in China.

The initiative directly supports World Health Assembly resolution WHA74.6, which called on member states to strengthen local production of medicines and other health technologies to prepare for emergencies.

This will be a focus of NIBRT’s training activities, according to O’Driscoll.

“One of the key actions the WHO identified following the COVID-19 pandemic was to increase biopharma manufacturing capabilities within lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). The WHO’s Biomanufacturing Workforce Training Initiative addresses critical skills gaps in the biomanufacturing value chain to support sustainable local production of vaccines and biotherapeutics in LMICs,” he says.

In a press statement, director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said, “We have designated regional training centers in each of WHO’s six regions to build the skilled workforce needed to sustain local production of vaccines and biologics. They will operate as part of a coordinated global network, delivering context-specific training aligned with regional priorities, regulatory environments, and languages.”

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Europe’s extreme heat is shutting down power plants

Europe is in the middle of a record-breaking heat wave, and the grid is being pushed to its limits as people turn to fans and air-conditioning to try to stay cool. Some power plants won’t be online to help handle the load.

On June 23, France saw its hottest day since record-keeping began in 1947. Temperatures climbed to over 44 °C (111 °F), and overnight temperatures remained unusually high. This prolonged hot weather warmed up the water in some rivers across the country, a problem for the many nuclear plants that rely on those bodies of water for cooling. One reactor has already shut down, and others are being ramped down or will see limitations later in the week.

Unit two at the Golfech nuclear power plant in southern France shut down at about 11:45 p.m. on June 22 when the river used to cool the plant got too hot. The move was a precautionary measure, according to Brid Nelligan, a spokesperson for EDF, the plant’s owner and operator.

The power plant takes in water from the Garonne River and then returns most of it to the river at slightly higher temperatures after using it to cool equipment. French regulations limit the temperature of that return stream, so the warm water (it was expected to reach 28 °C, or around 82 °F) forced the operator to shut down the plant.

EDF, which operates France’s entire nuclear fleet, is also limiting the output of other reactors across the country—one reactor at the Nogent-sur-Seine power plant was ramped down as of Tuesday, and more will follow later in the week, Nelligan says.

Extreme heat has affected France’s nuclear industry before. At least seven gigawatts’ worth of nuclear energy was forced to shut down across the country during a heat wave in July 2025, according to data from Ember Energy. That’s more than the entire grid of Ireland. 

This time, power plant outages and limitations aren’t expected to be drastic enough to affect the ability to meet demand in France, according to RTE, operator of the national electric grid. 

Nuclear power has made most of the headlines during this heat wave, but other forms of electricity generation face similar challenges. Hydropower plants frequently run into problems when dry conditions lower the amount of water available to generate energy and force them to decrease or shut off operations. In the first five months of 2025, high temperatures and low water conditions cut hydropower supplies in Europe by 13% compared with the year before.

Even established coal and natural-gas plants can be challenged by high temperatures. Hot weather can stress equipment and limit the efficiency of cooling towers. Five gas plants across the UK have reported output reductions due to the conditions, cutting a total of about 2.5 gigawatts from the power supply. 

Increased demand, largely driven by cooling, is the main factor stressing Europe’s power grid, says Jean-Paul Harreman, director of Montel, an energy intelligence provider, via email. Even countries that haven’t historically relied much on cooling technologies are turning to them now—the number of UK homes that use air-conditioning has roughly doubled since 2022. 

Around the world, the challenges heat presents for the grid are only expected to get worse as climate change brings more frequent and intense heat waves. Globally, energy use for cooling is set to double by 2050 relative to 2023 levels, according to the International Energy Agency.

“Utilities can adapt by planning for summer peaks, making cooling demand more flexible, reinforcing grids for high temperatures, deploying batteries and demand response, and climate-proofing power plants’ cooling systems,” says Simone Tagliapietra, senior fellow at Bruegel, an economic and policy think tank, via email. 

But those changes could be expensive. Earlier this year, EDF shared a climate-change vulnerability assessment for its business, including nuclear and hydropower operations across France. Upgrades are expected to cost about €600 million per year (about $680 million) over the next 15 years. 

Meanwhile, high temperatures are expected to continue across much of Europe through the end of the week.